Kristina Olsson: The Art of Memoir - Truth, Lies and Imagination

2 MayWorkshop

Taken from French, the word memoir translates to ‘memory’; and that is what we rely on when writing this form. The writer tells the story from personal knowledge, accounts and memories. But in the very act of remembering, we change the past and the story. In this full-day workshop with award-winning author Kristina Olsson (Boy, Lost and Shell), you’ll examine how unreliable memory is and what role the unconscious plays. You’ll also learn about the instinct to shape and order, and the slippery nature of ‘truth’ – especially the narrator’s.

Kristina Olsson is an award-winning writer of fiction, non-fiction and journalism. Her memoir Boy, Lost garnered multiple national awards and her new novel Shell was chosen as the first title in Scribner’s new Australian literary imprint. Kristina’s previous work includes the novel The China Garden and the biography Kilroy Was Here. She also works as a mentor and teacher of creative writing, and is currently working on a new work of narrative non-fiction. She lives in Brisbane.